Stoker



Sept. 24, 1935., R p PLACE 2,015,285

STOKER Filed Aug. 17, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

sept. 24, w35.. R, P. PLACE 2,015,2@5

STOKER Filed Aug. 17, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. l

ATTORNEY.

Patented Sept. 24, 1935 amazes Fria Y STOKER Application August 17, 1931, Serial N0. 557,447

Claims.

One of the prime objects of the invention is to provide a stoker whichl will'feed a predetermined amount of fuel over a given time cycle, and automatically and evenly spread said fuel over the entire surface of the grates of a furnace.

Another object is to design a stoker which will be entirely automatic in operation, which will cleanly and efficiently burn the fuel without clink-- ers, and with a small amount of ash, thereby eliminating the smoke nuisance.

A further `abject is to design a Stoker which can be set in anydesired location, which does not require anchorage to the floor, which can easily be raised or lowered, which can be readily shifted or moved fromV one furnace to another, and which can be quickly disconnected to permit the furnace to be'iir'ed by hand if desired or should conditions require. A further object still is to design a rugged and substantial Stoker, provide means for blowing the fuel to spread it over the entire grate area of the furnace as the stoker operates, and further provide dempers to close all air orifices and passages when fuel is not being fed. f

A still further object is fto provide a Stoker composed of a minimum number of parts, of simple and substantial construction, which can be readily built andassembled, and'which is easy K to install and operate.

The above and other obiects will appear as the specication progresses, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which I Vhave Y shown the preferred embodiment of my invention,

and in which like reference numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views thereof In the drawings. Y Fig. l* is a side elevation of my stoker showing l it connected to Ya conventional furnace.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional Vend viewof the gear box taken on the line 6 6 of Fig. 2. Y

Fig. '7 is a side View of the damper housing showing the damper mounted therein.

Fig. 8 is a rear view thereof.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged view of the fuelpipe illustrating the adjustable nozzle, the dotted lines showing one adjusted position. Y

Referring now more particularly to the drawv ings, the numeral 5 indicates the front of a cone ventional furnace to which the stoker is connected,'and in the present instance I have not shown nor shall I describe the electrical equip- 5 ment as it forms no part of the present invention. The Stoker proper comprises a base plate S provided with spaced apart sleeves 'i in which the legs 8 are adjustably mounted. A hopper member is supported on this base by means of hopper l0 legs l i3, the upper end of said hopper being flared as shown at l l 'and a sheet metal extension l2 is rigidly secured thereto into which the fuel is shoveled.

An air passage i3 is provided directly adjacent 35 the bottom of the hopper t* and is adapted to receive the fuel as the stoker is actuated, bearings ii. being cast integral with said hopper, and Van agitator l5 is mounted therein, said agitator'ccmprising spaced apart bosses I6 having end walls 30 Il' cast integral therewith, a longitudinally disposed rib i8 Vconnecting said end walls, and a horizontally disposed shaft l is journaled in the bearings it, said agitator being mounted on said shaft and adapted to force fuel from the hopper 25 into the passage i3, and the fuel is thence carried into the furnace in a manner to be v presently described. Y

A fuel blower 2t is mounted on' the base by means of bolts 2i, and a, conduit elbow com- 30 municates with one end of the passage $3 and with the casing of the fuel blower 2Q, a fuel pipe 23 being connected to the opposite end of the air passage i3Y and terminating in an adjustable nozzle 24 Vwithin the furnace, so that the fuel carried by the air can'be spread as desired.

A conventional motor 25 is mounted on the base below the hopper, the motor shaft 2t being connected to and driving the blower fan El .in the usual manner. A pulley 28 is mounted on the 40 shaft 2E, and a belt C connects said pulley with a pulley 29 which is mounted on the shaft St, said shaft being journaled in and projecting from the gear boxA 3l which is secured to a timing box B by means of bolts 32. A similar shaft 33 is jour- 45 naled in the gear box V l, andra disc 34 is mounted on the shaft 33, a link 35 being connected to said disc, the opposite end of the link being detachably secured to an agitator lever 36 which is in turn mounted on the end of the shaft i 9, spaced apart 50 4Vopenings 39 being provided in this lever, so that the throw of the agitator can be regulated as desired.

Suitable bosses are provided in this gear box 3 l and are bored to receive a vertically disposed 55 shaft 40 which is mounted therein, a worm 4| being mounted on the shaft 3B, meshing with and driving a worm wheel 42 which is mounted on the shaft 40, a smaller worm 43 being also mounted on said shaft, meshing with and driving a worm wheel 44 which is mounted on the shaft 33, thereby providing a suitable speed reduction.

A motor bracket 45 is bolted to the front end of the base, and a motor 48 is secured thereto, said motor being connected to and driving a draft blower 4l, a draft pipe 48 being connected to said blower, the opposite end opening into the ash pit of the furnace.

A transversely disposed shaft 49 is journaled in the draft pipe 48, and a damper 50 is mounted therein, the one end of the shaft 49 being bent at right angles to the main body and a counter Weight 5l is secured thereto, and when the blower is operating, the air pressure will force this damper to open position; likewise, when the blower ceases to operate, the damper will automatically swing shut, automatically controlling the air entering the furnace regardless of the iire condition.

A similar damper 52 is provided in the passage leading from the fuel blower to the furnace, and this is preferably located in the elbow 22, (see Figs. 7 and 8 of the drawings) a horizontally disposed shaft 54 being mounted in said elbow, and the damper 52 being pivotally mounted thereon, so that as the fuel blower operates, the force of the air current will swing the damper upwardly to open position, and when the fuel blower ceases to operate, the damper will swing back and close the orifice.

A suitable opening is provided in the top of the elbow, and a cover 55 forms a closure as shown and is secured in place by bolts 55 or the like, said cover being provided to facilitate access to the damper, and to the air passage I3, and for the removal of obstacles or cleaning should it be so desired.

The fuel pipe 23 is also formed in twosections, a sleeve 57 being provided, and one of the pipe sections 23 is threaded to receive it so that when it is desired to disconnect for any purpose whatsoever, the sleeve is merely backed oif and the pipe will be completely disconnected.

The nozzle member 24 which is provided on the end of the fuel pipe 23 is so arranged that it distributes the fuel over the entire surface of the furnace grates, said nozzle being adjustable (as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 9) to suit general conditions.

It will of course be obvious that the stoker can be placed in any desired position with relation to the furnace, as it is merely necessary to provide the necessary openings in the shell to accommodate the fuel and draft pipes.

From the foregoing description it will be obvious that I have perfected a very simple, practical, efficient, and economical Stoker for automatically feeding fuel to furnaces.

What I claim is:-

l. A stoker of the class described including an adjustable base, a housing mounted thereon and provided with a fuel hopper, an oscillatory agitator mounted therein, means for causing the oscillation of said agitator, means for adjusting the 10 stroke thereof, a fuel passage adjacent said housing and open thereto, a fan, a fuel pipe for connecting one end of said passage with a furnace, the opposite end of said passage communicating with said fan, a draft pipe connected to the ash pit of the furnace, means for forcing air through said draft pipe, and a damper mounted in each respective pipe and adapted to be automatically opened by the forced air currents.

2. A Stoker of the class desecribed including an adjustable base having a housing mounted thereon, a fuel passage adjacent said housing and open thereto, a U-shaped agitator for feeding a predetermined amount of fuel to said passage, means for causing the oscillation of said agitator, a fuel pipe connecting one end of the fuel passage with a furnace, a fan communicating with the opposite end of said passage for forcing air therethrough, means for adjusting the stroke of said agitator, a damper in said passage and controlled by said forced air currents, and means for driving said fan.

3. A Stoker of the class described including an adjustable base, a fuel housing mounted thereon,

a 'LJ-shaped agitator mounted therein, means for 35 causing the oscillation of the agitator, means for adjusting the stroke thereof, a fan, an air passage leading from said fan to a furnace and open to said housing, the agitator being adapted to feed fuel to said air passage, and an automatic 40 damper interposed between said fan and fuel housing and adapted to be opened by the air current from the fan.

4. The structure as set forth in claim 3 in which a detachable cover plate is provided above the damper.

5. A stoker connected to a furnace including a vertically adjustable base, a housing mounted thereon and having a fuel hopper secured thereto,

a driven fan, a pipe line connecting said fan with the furnace, means for feeding fuel to said pipe line including a U-shaped agitator, means for causing theY oscillation of the agitator, means for adjusting the stroke thereof, a draft fan also mounted on the base, a pipe connecting said fan to the ash pit of the furnace, and dampers interposed in said pipes and adapted to automatically close when the fans are not in operation.

ROLAND P. PLACE. 

